The Best Revenge

When 5-year-old Kinahran breaks her hind leg falling off a crate (she was pushed!), she's stuck in her mother's cabin on their clanship, unable to play all day with her young friends. Intolerable! And it's all her cousin's fault! But she's got a computer, a screwdriver, and a plan... for the Best Revenge. More

When 5-year-old Kinahran breaks her leg falling off a crate (she was pushed!), she's stuck in her mother's cabin on their clanship -- much to the dismay of both child and mother! Kinahran is bored, unable to play all day with her young friends in the clanship's creche. Intolerable! And it's all her cousin's fault! But she's got a computer, a screwdriver, and a plan... for the Best Revenge.

Originally published in the fanzine Pawprints, "The Best Revenge" is a science fiction short story suitable for all ages.

Elizabeth McCoy's fiction has appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress #7, in the "Best In Show" anthology by Sofawolf*, and in the fanzine "Pawprints" (published by Conrad Wong & T. Jordan Peacock). Her tabletop RPG writing is published by Steve Jackson Games. As her author bios in SJ Games' material continually state, she lives in the Frozen Wastelands of New England, with a spouse, child, and assorted cats.

She hopes that her work will be enjoyed, and is always a bit awkward about referring to herself in the third person.

*Best in Show has been re-published as: "Furry!: The Best Anthropomorphic Fiction!" (Fred Patten, ed.)

Also in Kintaran Universe

Also by This Author

Reviews

Review by:
M.C.A. Hogarth
on Oct. 08, 2011 :
Another story that depicts children very well; I enjoyed this look into family life and the exasperation of alien parents. This is a great story to round out the other Kintaran offerings, but I find it a bit too short to effectively grapple with the dense world-building. A little bit more infodump can be a good thing.

Nevertheless, charming and family-friendly.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by:
Anke Wehner
on July 06, 2011 :
(no rating)
I couldn't get through this on my first attempt, since I did not carefully memorise the conlang vocabulary provided in the front matter, which caused me to stumble over made-up words quite frequently.

I've read and rather enjoyed "Uniqueness Counts", featuring some of the same characters, and will give this one another try some time.
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by:
Gareth Ellzey
on June 11, 2011 :
Imagine a frisky kitten. Now imagine that kitten, like a centaur, only a cat-centaur, with arms, hands with opposable thumbs, and Super-Intelligent. Imagine this kitten on a space-ship, bored, and annoyed with a cousin who caused her to break a leg. With time on her paws, she figures out exactly how to get even. This story is really humorous and fun. The world-building inherent in the tale (tail) isn't obtrusive, but one gets a feel for the universe of Kintaurans. Go for it.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)